Chapter Forty-Three- The Threatened’s Fury

“You’re going to do what?!”

I winced at the holler. We were alone in classroom, but there were people outside and school walls were usually pretty thin. After helping Danny with his History during free periods, I had come to Chemistry and been faced once again with my actions. And I knew that the guilty would ram home once again the second I saw Harry. But he wasn’t back from holiday, yet, and wouldn’t be back in school until Wednesday.  “I’m sorry, but I can’t lie to him.”

“Yes, but if you tell him what happened, he’ll tell Harry.”

“Well, maybe they should both know!”

Dougie slammed his hands down on the desk, “What the hell is this? We agreed that it was finished; not to tell anyone!”

“Well, maybe you can feel fine about lying to Harry, but I can’t lie to Danny!”

Something crossed his face. A flicker his eyes that made me tense. “Oh, no…” he said softly. “She’s got to you… Don’s said something…”

“I felt bad before she knew!”

“Maybe, but she’s exacerbated the situation, hasn’t she? It’s over, Tom. Why let it wreck things now?”

I stepped away from the work bench, “I’m telling him, Dougie. You’ll just have to deal with the consequences.”

The expletive exploded from his mouth as I turned to head for the door and I found myself yanked bank before I’d even sensed movement. He repeated the curse, holding me at arms length with dark eyes. “You’re asking me to lose Harry.”

“If we didn’t want to take this risk, we should never have done it.”

“And telling them’s just going to make it worse!”

I shook my head, “Right now, I can barely look at him. My mum’s hardly talking to me. She’s called Gemma, Doug. There’s no way out of it. If I don’t do it now, I’ll do it later and the time will make it worse.”

“I’m not being steamrollered by the Fletcher-Donaghue Morality Parade!”

“Then stay off the parade route,” I told him simply, before shaking him loose and walking out the door.

*****

“Right, this is the last thing of the day,” Danny told me as we walked into his house at lunch time. He checked his watch, “I have…half an hour to get this done. Would’ve been forty minutes, but no… The library has to close at lunch. That vulture doesn’t look like she eats, anyway!”

I grinned, setting down my bag next to the computer as he switched it on, “This is why being prepared is good…”

“Nah. I do my best work under pressure. Man, this thing is so slow!”

I laughed at his impatience, “Give it time. A watched kettle never boils; an observed toaster never pops and… I’m out of kitchen-related expressions. Get out the play and work out your quotes.”

He pulled out the play, “Already tagged and ready. You ever read this?”

“Streetcar?” I took the book. “No. Can’t say Tennessee Williams was ever my thing.”

“Then all you’re good for is dictation, but I can use you.” As I laughed again, he cast an arm in the direction of the kitchen, “Go and feed yourself. I’m gonna work now.”

“Want anything?”

“Nah, I’m good.”

I rolled my eyes, “I’ll make you a sandwich.”

“You’re such a mother hen.”

I pushed him on the back of the head as he opened Word, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

*****

“Can you read that bit for me?”

I took the play from him and flipped it round to read. “Where from?”

“‘I don’t tell the truth.’”

“Right. Got it.” I put down my bottle, “‘I don’t tell the truth. I tell what ought to be the truth. And if that is sinful, then let me be damned for it!’”

“Thanks.” He typed it in, “And the tagged line on page two-oh-five?”

I looked at the opposite page, “‘Never inside, I didn’t lie in my heart…’”

“And we’re done!” He said, blowing out a breath. He had written the paragraphs before adding quotes just in case he ran out of time, but he had managed to get them all in.

I checked my watch, “And you have five minutes to print it off and get back to school.”

“You’re gonna make me run, aren’t you?”

“Yup.”

“Geek.”

I laughed, “By the way, are you free tonight?”

He hit print, “Should be.”

It was time to face up and damn the consequences. “You wanna come to mine?”